D2D Auto Launches Concierge Service To Help US Auto Dealers Increase Sales To Canadians

Toronto, ON, January 3, 2011: According to Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles, Canadians imported 75% more passenger vehicles from the US in the first quarter of 2010 than in 2009. Over the course of 2010 as the Canadian dollar strengthened back towards parity, Canadians were on pace to importing well over 60,000 passenger vehicles most of which were mid and luxury level vehicles.

“That's a fraction of the Canadian population who want to import a vehicle but are dissuaded due to the complexities of the importation process” claims Viraf Baliwalla, President of D2D Auto.

As such, D2D has launched a new F&I program for US dealers that manages and oversees the logistics for a Canadian buyer once the vehicle sale is made.

“Many dealers have become familiar with US border requirements and are willing to forward the necessary paperwork in advance of the vehicle crossing. However, that is the extent to which they are able to go” says Baliwalla. “Some eager Canadians are fine with coming down to pick up the vehicle or, in the case of snowbirds, having their spouse drive one vehicle back while they drive the new one. However, most simply revert to buying something locally in Canada to avoid the hassles.”

The D2D Easy Import Process handles all the logistics of getting the vehicle from dealer to destination once the sale is made. This includes arranging transportation, title transfer, customs clearance, regulatory modifications, local certification, emission testing, licensing and registration.

D2D charges a flat fee of $1500 to handle all the paperwork, and coordinate and manage the process. The dealer sells the value added service to the customer as part of the deal and forwards D2D's portion along with the customer contact information, keeping $500 as their finder's fee. All extra out-of-pocket costs (eg: transport charges, government import fees, licensing, etc) are paid by D2D and then reimbursed directly to D2D by the customer.

“The dealer has made their best deal and handed off the rest of the process to an expert to manage the rest” says Baliwalla. “It simplifies their and their client's life, makes it easier to close the sale by removing a major emotional barrier and provides a nice financial benefit”.

In addition to taking away the burden from both dealer and client, D2D can also save the customer taxes if they have a trade in. In the future, they also plan to establish a relationship with a financing source to provide a single source solution. “Canadians currently have to come up with cash or use a line of credit on their home in order to import” says Baliwalla. “Being able to put them into a monthly payment would open the importing doors for a much bigger audience.”